Dual Monitor Setup with Laptop + PC

mchoodie on 25/08/2020 - 21:33

Howdy

So with WFH continuing to stretch I'm looking to step up my business/pleasure set up at home and am seeking some guidance.

Details of current set up
- Standard laptop for work has HDMI out
- Personal PC as 2 DP and 1 HDMI out
- Both are connected to my current monitor (27") with DP in and HDMI in
- I have a USB switcher so I can switch the peripherals between work laptop and personal PC without needing to change the cables
- PC connected to monitor with DP and laptop connected via HDMI. I switch the monitor input between HDMI and DP depending on whether i'm using my laptop or PC.
- I need 2 screens for work and currently my laptop screen is my second screen.

Now I'm looking to upgrade my set up by buying a new main monitor (32"/34") and keeping my current 27" as a secondary monitor. I would like to keep the current theme of minimal effort in switching between work laptop and PC. In doing so I have been looking at daisy chain solutions but can't seem to find something that matches my specific situation. I imagine the final outcome to look like the pic here: https://imgur.com/a/qslXuBx

In an ideal world I'd be able to switch between using my work laptop and personal PC by pressing the least amount of buttons!

Questions
1. Am I right in thinking that to get a new monitor with a DP out for this to work? Is that the main requirement for this new monitor?
2. I was looking at the Xiaomi 34 (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/560383) and the Dell S3220DGF ( https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/554219) which based on what I can see won't work in my case as they don't seem to have DP out.
3. Apart from the 2 new monitors I've considered what other recommendations would you have?
4. If I change the input between PC and laptop on my main monitor, would the second monitor also follow suite in sync?
5. Do I need special DP cables? I have these and I think they should be fit for purpose: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0861NZRFJ/ref=ppx_yo_d…

TLDR; How do I connect 2 computers to a shared dual monitor and peripheral set up in the cleanest way?

Thanks in advance.

Computing

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2020 - 21:38

    if you have a work laptop ask for a dock,
    i have my 3x 27" on my desk, 2 are connected to the work laptop dock and three are connected to my personal comp.
    when im working 2 display work stuff while the 3rd is my personal youtube/netflix/ozbargain viewer.

    most monitors have multiple inputs, eg, hdmi, dp, dvi. however you cannot daisy chain them unless they are usb3 i think.

    • CyberMurning on 25/08/2020 - 21:42

      You mean the third is connected to personal comp?
      Then when you done with work, do you use your personal comp with all 3 monitor screens?

      • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2020 - 21:46
        +3

        yes, see my amazing ms paint picture.

        https://imgur.com/a/HhIbrTT
        https://ibb.co/R4qJFSX

        this is what my setup is like during WFH hours, once im done being a corporate slave, it goes back 3 displays of fun.

        • mchoodie on 25/08/2020 - 21:52

          Props on the MS paint picture haha.

          I'll ask what docs are available at work. I want to have 2 screens of slavery OR 2 screens of fun. No in between!

          Could your set up work with the red markups and only 2 screns? https://imgur.com/a/NH3Dr2G

          • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2020 - 21:54
            +1

            @mchoodie: you would need to connect your personal comp to both the monitors, and then connect the dock to them.
            - personal comp connected to the DP input in both
            - work comp connected to the HDMI input in both

            • mchoodie on 25/08/2020 - 21:56

              @[Deactivated]: My work comp only has 1 HDMI output though.

              • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2020 - 21:58

                @mchoodie: yeah so you need a dock to give you more than one display output, this is the setup you would need
                https://imgur.com/a/MPyXmsb

                • mchoodie on 25/08/2020 - 22:02

                  @[Deactivated]: Got it. Thanks makes sense. Its an extra cable and an extra dock on to take care of but works.

                  Lets see if there is an alternative because the main thing is that I am yet to buy my main montior so if it can be solved via the daisy chain idea with the right primary monitor that would be ideal.

                  • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2020 - 22:06

                    @mchoodie: yeah so you usually have a usb3 or some proprietary cable from the laptop to the dock, then the dock you connect the 2 hdmi cables which goto both monitors.

  • CyberMurning on 25/08/2020 - 21:40
    +1

    Following this. Currently I have similar setup but need to plug unplug:
    2 laptops, 2 monitors, one dock

  • serpserpserp on 25/08/2020 - 21:46

    I got 1 Ultrawide monitor in the end rather than 2 monitors. saves cables, space, bezel, and you get good screen real estate all for a decent price.<$500

    • mchoodie on 25/08/2020 - 21:54

      Yes. But I'm looking for Ultrawide + second monitor in my set up.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 26/08/2020 - 00:23

      UW is really good for productivity aye, I just cannot stand the black bars when watching media e.g. youtube

    • gasman70 on 29/08/2020 - 06:40

      How does it look with two programs open on it….say Excel and Word?

      • serpserpserp on 29/08/2020 - 09:08
        +1

        That is what I use the most at the same time and it is great. On a 32" even putting 4 programs up (one each corner) is fairly workable. Even just using the default windows 10 setup that most places lock their computers to. If you can install windows power tools it gets even better. I find the three apps in columns set up probably the best config for me.

  • Seraphin7 on 25/08/2020 - 21:58

    My laptop dock connects to my laptop via USB cable. While I've never done it, I imagine if I put a USB switch between the two laptops and the dock, it would do what you're getting at.

  • Riczter on 25/08/2020 - 22:10

    Only Thunderbolt can daisy chain as far as i know… So you laptop and your computer will both have to individually connect to both monitors, unless your laptop has thunderbolt.

    What laptop have you got? Hopefully it has 2 display out ports, ie: HDMI and USB-C. So you would plug the laptop into each monitor with each cable, and have to push the source button on each monitor to change from PC to laptop display… I dont see any way around this, again, unless you have thunderbolt

    Something like this might work well for you if the laptop has a USB-C port.

    Edit: Apparently you can daisy chain display port - look for DisplayPort "MST". Wont work with your laptop over HDMI though…

    • Riczter on 25/08/2020 - 22:27

      Scratch that, looks like you can daisy chain over displayport with select monitors… Wont help your laptop though if it only has hdmi.

      And since the second monitor would not be linked to your laptop via the daisy chained display ports (since its connected via HDMI) there's no point in trying to get a display port out compatible monitor. Just get any monitor you like and plug the PC into both and the laptop into the main one. (most laptops have 2 display out ports though… if its an old laptop you might be stuck with VGA and HDMI, but if its new hopefully it has USB-C, and if it has USB-C it MIGHT be able to support display port MST which would allow the second monitor to follow through the signal from the laptop with its display port out connection to the primary monitor)

      If it does have USB-C port then this is an example of a 934" ultrawide monitor](https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Monitors/25plus-inch/579…) you could get, and a USB-C to DP cable you could use

      • mchoodie on 26/08/2020 - 21:54

        Thats Riczter.

        My laptop is a ThinkPad L380 https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-l/Thi…

        It does has 2 USB C ports - one of which is used to charge.

        So if I am following your message I'd need my primary monitor to have 2 DP inputs and a DP output?

        • Riczter on 26/08/2020 - 22:30
          +1

          So both your laptop and your PC have at least 2 video outputs. This is good, it means you don't actually NEED a monitor with display port out, you could get any 2nd monitor and plug both devices into both monitors with separate cables and use the input select button on the monitors as needed…

          But if you want the more elegant solution, then yes, you would need a monitor with 2 DP inputs and one output. And I'm not even sure it would work then. I see 3 hurdles - one: your laptops USB-C port must support Display Port MST. Two: The USB-C to display port cable has to be compatible with MST. And three, the monitor has to be able to carry the signal from either of the 2 display port inputs (whichever one is active) to the display port output. I dont know enough about this stuff to give any solid guidance on this, but it wouldnt surprise me if only one of the display port inputs can pass on that data to the display port output. So you would be paying extra money for a special monitor that may not even do what you want it to, unless you can find someone else who knows more about this stuff than I do.

          What you could do is get the monitor i linked above or a similar one (if you can find one with 2 DP inputs and one output thats great), and test it out. The one I linked has DP and mini DP as inputs, so you could get a standard DP to DP cable for the PC and a USB-C to mini-DP cable for the laptop, and see if that works… if it doesn't work just do what i mentioned above as a fallback, and have both devices plugged into both monitors…

          Good Luck

          • mchoodie on 27/08/2020 - 09:18

            @Riczter: Thank you.

            Appreciate your input Riczter. A little less confused so need to keep looking into it as I decide on which monitor to get. Will probably depend on if I can get a bargain on and retro fit a solution with some cable management.

  • CyberMurning on 26/08/2020 - 12:46

    hi OP what USB switcher do you use? link please? i may get one so can always connect 2 laptops to the dock (and switch between) and the dock goes to 2 monitors, all permanently plugged in

    • mchoodie on 26/08/2020 - 21:47

      Sure

      I got this basic one from UGREEN https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0773P6VLG/

      There are others available with improved features (such as USB 3.0, etc.) but I didn't require faster data transfer speeds are it was purely to connect a keyboard and mouse. Has been working flawlesly. The physical switch is nice and the footprint is appropriate.

      Another thing to note is that the it does come with a micro USB power in - but I haven't had to connect it as it draw the power from the PC or laptop that connects into it. One less cable to worry about.

      Great little investment!

      EDIT: just re-read your message. I don't have a single switcher for both keyboard/mouse AND monitor. If so you probably need a more complex switcher like https://www.amazon.com.au/TESmart-Monitor-Switcher-Support-M…

      It seemed excessive for what I wanted to set up and spend.

      OR: if you are just after switching between display maybe something like https://www.amazon.com.au/GANA-Aluminum-Bi-Directional-Proje… ?

      • CyberMurning on 26/08/2020 - 23:14

        hmm… i feel i need the last one ie https://www.amazon.com.au/GANA-Aluminum-Bi-Directional-Proje…
        BUT
        USB 3.0 sockets on all three.
        so basically a box with 2 USB-A female on one side, and one USB-A female on the other.
        bi-directional
        2 usb input will be coming from 2 different laptops USB as well, and then one out to the dock. from the dock, go to 2 monitors via hdmi/dp

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